Stroke of Midnight
by crazyshay77
Summary: A Gallagher Girl Cinderella-ish story! ZAMMIE FLUFF, obviously. Bex and Cammie go undercover to a gala for a mission, and Cammie meets Zach Goode. In the short time they've met, Zach starts falling for her, but he doesn't know that Cammie's undercover. Does he like the real Cammie, or just Cammie's cover? I suck at summaries, please read! I swear it's better than it sounds!
1. Chapter 1

**A Gallagher Girl Cinderella Story! One shot! This idea randomly appeared, and since Valentine's Day is here, I might as well post it! Sorry if they're a little out of character and if there are any mistakes in spelling, grammer, or whatever. I didn't read this over, so there's likely some typos!**

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><p><em><strong>CAMERON MORGAN AND REBECCA BAXTER MISSON FILE<strong>_

_**COVER: JULIA WATERS. 17. LONG BLACK HAIR. BLUE EYES. AMERICAN. WEALTHY HEIRESS INVITED TO ATTEND BLUE MOON GALA**_

_**COVER: AMBER CONNAWAY. 17. SHORT BROWN HAIR. GREEN EYES. BRITISH. DEBUTANTE INVITED TO ATTEND BLUE MOON GALA**_

_**MISSION: POSE AS J. WATERS AND A. CONNAWAY AND ATTEND BLUE MOON GALA. AGENT 0771 WILL BE THERE TO HAND **_

_**OFF AN ****ENCRYPTED DISK. BE THERE TO RECIEVE IT AT 24:00 HRS (MIDNIGHT) OUTSIDE IN THE HOTEL COURTYARD. **_

I reread our file for the millionth time while we drove to the hotel in our limo. I checked the mirror again to make sure my wig and contacts were in place and looked over my outfit. I had a floor length sapphire dress matched with diamond jewelry and silver stilettos. Bex had on a creamy white dress paired with emerald jewelry and white peep toe heels.

"Are our comms units working?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Do we have our panic buttons?"

"Yes, Cammie."

"What about-"

"Stop worrying," Bex told me.

"I'm not worrying, it's just... This is our first real mission, Bex. I want it to go well."

"It'll be easy, Cam. We have fun for the next few hours, retrieve a disk, then drop it off back at the agency. Easy," Bex assured me.

~.~.~.~

"Are you ready?" Bex asked once we reached the hotel, but I barely registered it. I was staring at the packed ballroom, wondering how I'm going to survive until midnight. It was only 10:00pm. I nodded numbly and let her drag me through the doors.

The first hour wasn't that bad. We danced around a bit, talking with other people. The Blue Moon Gala was in celebration of some company, so most people were older wealthy business folk, which made it hard to keep a conversation going.

"Let's get something to drink," I suggested. The snack table had a wide selection of appetizers and desserts, but the only drink options were wine and mineral water. I opted for the water, Bex took a glass of wine. As we were walking away from the table, someone ran into us.

"I'm so... Hi," the guy stopped apologizing once he saw Bex. He looked about our age, tall, with dirty blonde hair and a muscular build. Bex smiled and started talking to him. He eventually introduced himself as Grant, she as Amber, and soon they were flirting and it was like I wasn't even there. Grant and Bex ended up wandering off, leaving me alone at the snack bar.

"Just great," I mumbled as I leaned against the wall that was behind the snack table. I took a sip of my glass and looked around the room. Near the entrance was an antique grandfather clock, with a gold piece swaying back and forth with every tick. Tick tock tick tock... Half an hour until midnight. I poured myself another glass of water and returned to my spot against the wall. Wait, let me rephrase that: I was _going _to go back to the wall, but someone else took my spot. And he was looking right at me.

"Hey," he said when I walked past him.

"Hey," I replied without looking at him, feeling a blush spreading across my face. I walked away from the incredibly handsome stranger, not expecting him to follow me. But he did. I turned at looked at him. His eyes were mesmerizing, a deep emerald color. "Why are you following me?" I blurted out.

He seemed taken aback at my directness, but he just smirked. I became annoyed. "What?"

He shrugged. "You're adorable when you're confused." I smiled and looked down at the floor, and I tucked a dirty blonde strand of hair behind my ear. Then it hit me: my hair isn't blonde at the moment; I was undercover. I'm not me, I'm Julia Waters. He doesn't think the real me is adorable, he thinks a girl with raven hair and water blue eyes is. My smile faded.

"Thanks," I mumbled and walked away from him again. I didn't see him for about another ten minutes, when he found me again.

"Why'd you leave me?" he asked. "Usually when I compliment a beautiful girl, they stick around for a while."

I didn't answer his question. "Why are you following me?" I asked again, mimicking his tone. "Usually when I walk away from someone, I kind of have a purpose."

He smirked again. That smirk. "Beautiful with a sense of humor. The best kind of girl."

"I wasn't trying to be funny," I answered, trying hard to ignore the compliment. He just shrugged indifferently. "Well, if you're going to keep following me, can you at least tell me your name?"

He paused, as if he was unsure to reveal who he was to some stranger. "Zach Goode." He told me finally. "And you?"

I was about to say Cammie, but I quickly corrected myself. "Julia Waters."

"Julia. Julia..." Zach said, trying it out. "I like it." The song changed to a slow, romantic melody. Zach looked at me and held his hand out. "Care to dance, Miss Waters?" I hesitated, but decided to take it. I might as well have some fun undercover until we needed to be in the courtyard. Zach smiled a real smile that lit up his whole face and pulled me towards him at the dance floor. The world slipped away as we moved to the music, moving as one, like we've known each other forever.

The song faded and ended, yet Zach's arms remained around me and my head rested against him. We stood there awhile, relishing the moment. I couldn't seem to stop smiling, and Zach couldn't either.

I led him over to the snack table to find something to eat. My eyes immediately landed on the nearly empty bowl of peanut M&M's, but so did Zach's.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. He just grabbed the last handful of M&M's and was pouring them all in his mouth. Zach stopped when he heard my outburst.

"What?" His voice was muffled from the M&M's.

"I was going to eat those!" I yelled.

"Oh." Zach opened his hand and offered his remaining peanut M&M's. "Here. Sorry, I ate most of them already." They were a big, melted, rainbowy mess in his hand, but I gladly ate them anyways.

"So, besides the obvious M&M's obsession, what else is there to know about you?"

Let's see... There wasn't much information in the file on my cover's personality besides being rich. What could I say? "I have a... cat. Named Suzie. She's a ragdoll cat and...Yep. Suzie. My cat."

That was the best I could come up with? I'm a trained SPY, and I can't make up a simple lie right now? Something is wrong with me.

He hid his confusion and uncomfortable-ness well, better than I thought was possible for normal, non-spy people. But not well enough for me not to sense it. "Okay, then. Where do you go to school?"

"I go to a private boarding school," I answered smoothly this time. "Why aren't you telling me anything about yourself? Where do _you _go to school?"

A shadow passed his face and his expression became grave. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Oh. Well, can you tell me about your family?" Zach stiffened again, and it was made obvious it wasn't something to openly discuss. He relaxed himself again and changed the subject.

"There's one thing I can tell you, but you're going to think I'm crazy."

"I already think you're crazy," I teased, "Just tell me."

Zach smiled. "I'm already falling for someone I just met half an hour ago. Crazy, right?" Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around me, and the world turned upside-down. Right then and there, Zach Goode dipped me and kissed me. Time froze, and I melted in his arms and in the kiss.

DING... DING... DING... The grandfather clock rang and echoed throughout the room, signaling that midnight was almost here. MIDNIGHT! I remembered the mission and pulled away quickly, falling rather ungracefully on my butt.

"Are you okay?" Zach asked, holding his hand out to help me up. I inched away and stumbled to my feet.

"What's wrong, Julia? Do you have a curfew or something?" He asked with a smirk. I had no time to respond, so I bolted away from him. I could hear him running after me, shouting a name that didn't belong to me, chasing a body that didn't belong to me. It was never me. None of it.

"Stupid," I muttered to myself again and again as I ran away. Tears pricked the edges of my eyes. I can't believe I let myself get so close to him! I let him KISS me! There's no point in getting attached to him. I was undercover the whole time, and there's no chance I'll see him again. I ran outside the ballroom to Bex, who was already there. I didn't stop running until we were both in the elevator.

"Why are you rushing? We have a good ten minutes to midnight," Bex said. I didn't answer, because Zach burst through the ballroom doors and spotted us in the elevator. He walked towards us quickly, but not quickly enough. I sighed in relief and sat down against the wall when the doors closed before he could reach us.

"Cam... What was that about?" Bex asked. I just watched the floor numbers change. 5...4...3...2... Then it stopped.

"Bex. I think you pressed the wrong button. The courtyard is on B1." I looked at her and saw that she just pressed the emergency stop button.

"We're not going anywhere until you explain who that guy was and why he was chasing after you."

"We're going to be late."

Bex checked her watch. "We have 8 minutes and 32 seconds. Go." I ended up spilling out every detail, from the dance to the M&M's to the kiss, all within two minutes.

"Awww! It's like a fairytale!"

I scoffed. "Yeah, but this time I'm never going to see my 'prince' again, and we're spies. Spies don't get happy endings. Besides, he doesn't even know the real me."

She gave me a sympathetic look and pressed B1, the elevator coming alive again. "Don't be negative, Cam. You'll get your fairytale ending."

"Whatever. Let's just finish this mission and get it done." This floor was silent. There were a few hotel rooms, but there wasn't anyone here which made this mission easier. We navigated the hallways out to the courtyard and waited. It was exactly midnight. A few seconds later, a dark figure emerged from the shadows and walked towards us. I felt happy to know that the mission was almost over. But my body froze solid when the figure stepped into the moonlight, and I could recognize his features. Those same green eyes were staring back at me once again.

"ZACH?! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

He just shrugged. "I'm waiting for someone. Why are you here?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm waiting for someone too."

"Wait..." Bex started. "Agent 0771?"

This was the first time I've seen Zach caught off guard. But I have only known him for half an hour."Yeah, that's me. Are you guys the ones here to get the disk?"

Bex nodded. I was still in shock, but I had enough sense in me to understand everything. "That's why you've been hanging out with me all night, isn't it? You knew I was the other spy, and you wanted to get close to me to make it easier for yourself. And you weren't running to _me _on the elevator. You were running to the elevator because you needed to get to the courtyard too." Despite everything, I laughed. "I can't believe I thought you actually liked me."

In the short 30 minutes I knew him, I've seen him in many different expressions, but now, he looked hurt. Mad. Furious. "You seriously think I was spending time with you just to use you to my advantage? Just to pretend to like you to make this mission easier? You think I'm that selfish and shallow?" I was scared, but I didn't let it show, so instead I shrugged.

"Well, you're wrong. I had no idea who I was going to meet here at midnight. To be honest, I was sort of expected a guy. But, I am so much happier that it was you." He smiled at me briefly before continuing on. "From the moment I saw you, I felt that something was different about you. The way you were alert to everything that was going on, how you moved swiftly and blended in through the crowd. That's why I spent time with you. Not because you were beautiful, but you are of course, or to use you. It was because I felt that there was something special about you, about _us_, and I had a feeling that meeting you was fate. I don't care how stupid and cheesy I sound right now. Everything that happened tonight was real, and I'm not going to be afraid to admit that, Julia."

I was speechless. Luckily, Bex was there to fill the silence.

"As much as I would like to watch you guys work things out, Cammie, we really need to get this mission done," Bex said.

"Wait, Cammie? Your name is Cammie?" Zach asked.

"Oh, right. About that..." I began. I took off my wig and contacts, letting my cover fall to the real me. "Julia's just my cover. This is the real me, Cammie Morgan. I'm not some gorgeous heiress, just some average looking spy."

Zach took a few steps and walked over to me. "Cammie Morgan, you are insane." Let me say that I was totally not expecting that response. First he goes on about me being special, then he calls me insane? Talk about mixed messages.

"You are insane for thinking you're 'some average spy.' You look even prettier with dishwater blonde hair, and being a spy instantly makes you a thousand times more attractive. So if anything, I'll fallen for you even more in the past 5 minutes." Zach kissed me again, and this time I didn't pull away. There were no covers, no hiding, just us.

And Bex, who cleared her throat loudly. "This is romantic, Zach and Cammie. But it's twenty minutes past midnight. We have until morning to hand in the disk, so our mission is safe, but the agency sent a limo for us ten minutes ago, and now we don't have a ride."

I shrugged. "We'll walk. The apartment we're staying at is only a few blocks away." Bex pointed at our heels and raised her eyebrows. "Then we'll take the bus?" I suggested.

"What bus is still going after midnight?" Bex pointed out.

"Huh. Then I don't know."

Zach told use that he had a car, and he agreed to drop us off.

~.~.~.~

"So I guess this is goodbye." We were standing in front of our apartment and Bex already went inside.

"Hey, we'll see each other eventually," Zach said. "What school do you really go to? Maybe I'll drop by."

Should I trust him? He's still a stranger. But something about him made me trust him. "I go to Gallagher Academy."

"Where is that?" he asked.

I smiled. "You're a spy, why don't you figure it out?"

He smiled back and replied, "I will." Zach hugged me tight and I didn't want to let him go. He waved before driving away, and I was left standing under the moonlight. I sighed happily and went inside.

As I hung up my jacket, a small piece of paper fell out.

_Until next time, Gallagher Girl. See you soon." -Z_

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><p><strong>This was supposed to be short one shot, but this turned out to be a lot longer than I intended. I hope you liked it! Have a great February 14th! If you're spending Valentine's Day as an awesome single person like myself, I hope this fanfic brightened today up! <strong>

**I might continue this with another chapter. Should I make this longer? Let me know in a review please! A certain green-eyed smirking spy will show up at your front door if you review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my little chickadees! That came out weird. Whatever. Anyway before anything, super special shout outs to:**

**- _sakurayukari_ for your fabulous review that brightened up my day so so so much! You are amazing! Your review motivated me to add this next chapter!   
><span>**

**- _Elise,_ who's not an official member of FanFiction, but she has read every one of my stories and supports me! Thanks for being my FanFic friend as well as my real time BFF! Love you forever!  
><strong>

**Now for the story...**

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><p>"Operatives Morgan and Baxter please report to Room One." The secretary paged us over the announce system. Bex looked over at me and nodded. We walked together confidently down the empty hall. Bex and I looked ahead at a notch on the door and tired not to blink as we did a retina scan. A low buzz sounded and the door clicked open.<p>

I wasn't really sure what I was expecting inside. But it looked a lot more ordinary than I thought a spy office would be. There was a neat desk, an office chair on one side and two arm chairs on the other side. A man was sitting at the office chair with his hands folded. He motioned for us to sit, so we sat at the arm chairs.

"Operative Morgan. Operative Baxter," he addressed us. "Let's make this quick. Do you have the mission report written?" I nodded and handed him a file containing our mission report, and Bex gave him the disk.

"So the mission was successful?" We both nodded again. "How was the other agent? 0771, Zachary Goode, I believe it was?" I got a weird feeling at the mention of his name. Flashes of last night spun in my mind.

"He carried on the mission well," I managed to say. The man took some notes, shuffled some papers around.

"Well done, Cameron and Rebecca. I'll be sure to recommend you both for future missions. After you fully complete your training at Gallagher, of course."

After a short conversation going through some other procedures, we were dismissed.

Bex and I didn't speak much on our drive back to Roseville.

"I guess it's done... The mission is done," Bex said as I drove. I smiled, but didn't say anything. I felt Bex look over at me, noticing my silence. "Is it Zach?"

"No," I answered immediately and blushed. Bex smiled. "Fine, part of it is Zach. It's just... I don't know. The mission is done, so what are the chances of seeing him again?"

"You'll see him. He gave you that note... Gallagher Girl," Bex added with a sly smile.

"That doesn't mean anything... does it?"

She thought for a minute. "I think it means he likes you. But we'll ask Macey to make sure."

~.~.~.~

We reached Gallagher around 10. Gallagher Academy was silent and solemn, dark besides our headlights and some street lights. After passing security and parking the van, we made our way up to our room. Macey and Liz were already waiting for us.

"How was the mission? What kind of disk was it?"

"More importantly, what designer were the dresses by? Did you get to keep them?

I answered both their questions, as well as all the questions Liz had afterwards.

I was really hoping I would get to sleep before discussing Zach. But just when we turned off the lights, Bex broke the news. "Cammie met a boy."

Macey bolted up so fast I was worried she would get whiplash. She immediately turned on the lights and stared at me. "A boy?" I rolled over and snuggled deeper in my blanket. I'm asleep, please think I'm asleep, don't bother me about Zach...

Bex reached over and yanked the blanket off me and forced me into a sitting position. Either she knew I was awake, or she really had no patience to hold this conversation until morning. It was probably a little of both. Even if I was asleep, I think she would have done that anyway.

Macey's gaze was unwavering. Her blue eyes were like an icy beam. "Cameron Ann Morgan."

"Zach. His name is Zach," I started. She motioned for me to go on. All of last night spilled out all at once. "He was the other spy on the mission. He was following me around and we danced and he ate the M&Ms and we kissed and he called me adorable but then he said I was insane and then he..." I breathed a few times and buried my face in my pillow. "I'm so confused." I mumbled into my pillow.

All my friends were looking me like I was insane. Except Bex, who already heard the same thing last night in the elevator.

"Cammie, I didn't understand a single word you just said. You were talking way too fast and your words were jumbled together," Macey told me.

Liz piped in, her eidetic memory serving some purpose. "I remember. But Cam, you _were_ speaking really quick. This is basically what Cammie was saying Macey..." Liz went on to reexplain what I said, but her explanation made a lot more sense than mine. Bex also added some more information and detail to help.

"Oh..." Macey took a while to process this. She crossed her legs and folded her hands professionally. "Well, based on recent information-"

"Macey, you sound like a serious business lady. It's not that serious."

Macey didn't change her demeanor, but cut a glance at Bex. "Boys are a serious matter Bex. In Cammie's case, this is very serious. First question, was he hot?"

I groaned. "Is that really important?"

"You wanted my help, you're going through this process my way. Now, answer the question."

"He was," Bex answered for me. "But don't worry, Cam. I'm not into him like that."

"I know. You have Grant," I said to get the attention off of me. A dangerous look passed through Bex's eyes.

"Who's Grant?" Liz asked.

"It doesn't matter right now," Bex snapped. "What matters is Cammie's hot new spy boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Maybe not officially, but I was there with you Cam. He said meeting you was fate. He even admitted he fell in love with you."

"Whoa, back up. He even admitted to falling for you?" Macey interrupted. "If he already said he likes you, what are you confused about?"

Out of all the things they asked me so far, this was the one question that made me stop and think. "I'm confused about whether or not this means anything. Sure, we had a great time together. The world stopped and it felt... magical. But I'm a spy, he's a spy. What are the chances we'll meet each other again? I barely even know him. So what's the point?"

This time, no one had anything to say. Macey shut off the lights and we all climbed back into bed. After everyone fell asleep, my mind was still buzzing.

"You want to know what the point is, Cam?" Macey's voice came from the other side of the room. "The chances you'll see Zach again are really, really small. Like you said, we're spies. But even though the chances are small, the chances are still _there_. It could happen. And if Zach likes you as much as it seems, the chances are even bigger. Love is about taking chances, Cammie. You can take them, or you can let them slip away. But Zach seems worth it."

The room was silent again. "Thanks, Macey."

"Good night, Cam."

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><p><strong>This portion of the story ran longer than I expected. So, there's going to be another chapter after this. It should be up soon! Zach may or may not make a reappearance, hint hint... <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**It's been only a few weeks, and I'm already up to 8 reviews, 13 favorites, and 18 followers! You guys are amazing! Thank you for the support! Super shout out to:**

_**-hannahslye**_** for giving me an idea, which in turn gave me an even bigger idea! I was just going to end this FanFic with a short chapter, but now I have an idea so now it'll be longer! Thanks ****_hannahslye_****! **

**And multiple reviewers have mentioned that this has been OOC and a bit too fluffy and cheesy. After reading over, I guess that's kind of true. So now I'll try to be a little more realistic but still keep the fluff cute stuff! I've rambled on long enough, read on...**

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><p>Madame Dabney stood at the front of the room, demonstrating the proper way to sit at a formal dinner party while still being in an easy position to attack anyone that comes at you. Normally, I would pay attention to in class. After all, being a Gallagher Girl takes time and commitment, not much room to slack off. But for some unknown reason I couldn't focus. Well, the reason wasn't unknown exactly; I just didn't feel like thinking about that certain reason. Because that certain reason is way too confusing and complicated. Add in the fact that the certain reason in question is distracting enough with those eyes...<p>

"Cameron, please come up here and demonstrate for the class," Madame Dabney called me up to the front of the room. There was a small dining table set up, with chairs around it and the proper dinnerware you would expect at a dinner party. I nodded and walked up and sat down. Like she demonstrated, I pulled up the chair a little less than a foot away from the table and sat with proper posture. I had my hands positioned with my left hand parallel to the fork and my right angled towards the napkin.

"Good, good, but just adjust your hands a bit..." she moved my hands a few inches, and nodded in approval. "There, perfect. Now, Bex come up here to be the attacker." Bex moved to the other end of the dining table and sat down on the edge of her seat like she was supposed to.

"Beautiful! Wait... shift!" Bex was back on her feet in a blink of an eye, running towards me. At her same pace, my hands flew to the cloth napkin and the fork. Just as she reached me, I wrapped the napkin around her incoming hands and twisted it, pulling her arms behind her so she couldn't move them. The fork was pressed against a pressure point and if I pressed any harder Bex would be unconscious.

Madame Dabney applauded our demonstration and started to talk about an old mission where she actually had to do this when my mom walked into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, Madame Dabney. Can I speak with you for a moment?" she asked.

"Of course. Stay quiet while I talk to Headmistress Morgan," Dabney instructed us.

Bex and I returned to our seats in front of Liz and Macey.

"What's that about? Cam?" Macey asked. My friends all turned to look at me.

"I don't know! I'm usually left out of these things," I grumbled. They all shrugged and we talked while we waited for my mom and Madame to finish. I thought it was just a short conversation about some school thing, but they didn't finish for another 10 minutes.

When she walked back into the room, she had an eager look in her eyes. The whole class looked at each other with questioning glances; we all could notice her sudden energy.

"We're having a slight shift in lesson plans," Madame Dabney announced jubilantly. Instead of spending the week learning ways to attack during formal occasions, she told us we're going to start ballroom dancing tomorrow. Strange.

~.~.~.~

"Cosa pensi Signora Dabney stava parlando?" **(translations below.) **Liz asked.

"I don't know, Liz. Still out of the loop last time I checked."

Mr. Solomon walked by with a warning glance. "Oggi è italiano, signorina Morgan."

I replied, "Mi dispiace." We all waited until Mr. Solomon walked away before continuing.

"Even though you don't actually know anything... perché pensi ci stiamo cambiando improvvisamente le lezioni?" Macey started in English and swiftly changed to Italian as another teacher walked near us. It's hard to believe she used to be behind. She's caught up quickly, like a true Gallagher Girl.

"Whatever the reason, it seems important since my mom had to talk to her in private about it. Hey, wait a minute... where's Bex?" We all looked around at the table. Surely enough, Bex's seat was empty.

"Maybe she's in line?" Liz suggested. When I scanned through the line, I couldn't see her anywhere.

Shaking my head, I answered, "No, she isn't there. Maybe she-" Before I made another suggestion, Bex ran into the Grand Hall and parked herself in her seat.

"Hey, I found something out!" Bex had a mischievous glint in her eyes and and eager smile danced on her face.

"What is it?" We all asked.

Bex paused for effect and took a deep breath. "I'll tell you when I get back. They're serving chicken parmesan today, right?" I nodded and watched her walk away. She had a little bounce to her step. Whatever she found out, it must be huge.

"Now what is she all excited about?" I asked. This time, none of us had an answer. We all just had to wait and see.

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><p><strong>Italian Translations: (<strong><strong>Just a note, I did this through Google Translate. It's probably not exactly accurate.)<strong>****

** **What do you think Madame Dabney was talking about? -Liz****

****Today is Italian, Miss Morgan. -Mr. Solomon****

****I'm sorry. -Cammie****

****Why do you think we're suddenly changing lessons? -Macey****

****Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading, stay weird! :)****


	4. Chapter 4

**Since I don't feel like doing my homework right now (*_pumps fist in air_* Procrastination!:p) , I decided to write a little filler chapter. First, let me thank everyone for reviewing, following, favoriting, etc. I would list all of your names, but I'll spare you some time. You know who you are, so thanks a million! **

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><p>Time had never moved so slowly. I swear the Earth stopped moving, even though Liz told me numerous times that it isn't possible, and she has scientifically sound evidence to support that. All of our eyes were on a certain British Gallagher Girl, who was eating a thousand times slower than I thought was humanly possible. I didn't want to rush her. My patience was better than most (this is the girl who hid for <em>six<em> hours in her mom's office to find out her Christmas present at age seven, after all) so I could wait awhile before finding out what she had to say. But Bex was taking her time, twirling her pasta carefully and chewing thoroughly, cutting her chicken into perfect cubes before plopping it in her mouth. She continued this process for an eternity, still only halfway through her plate.

As soon as she got back with her tray, we asked her about what she found out. Her only response: "I'll tell you later, I'm hungry." Then she ate her chicken parmesan without another word.

"Are we getting a new student?" Liz guessed. Bex glanced up briefly, chewed, and didn't reply.

"A New teacher?" Glance up, chew, silence.

"Madame Dabney is secretly a double agent trying to take down the Russian government and she's staking out at Gallagher until further notice?" This time, Bex stopped, her fork pausing a few inches in front of her mouth. We looked at Liz, who was acting as if that were a perfectly reasonable conclusion.

"What? That does explain why she went out of class to talk to Cammie's mom for so long," Liz added, confident that this somehow proved her point.

"Liz..." Macey began, but decided against continuing when Liz turned to look at her with complete naivety and innocence. Macey just sighed, not wanting to shoot down her hopeful thought. Bex waited awhile, then opened her mouth to finally say something. I found us all holding our breaths, waiting to see what ground-breaking, mind-blowing discoveries Bex was holding inside. But, yet again, Bex didn't say anything.

I lost the last wisps of my sanity and patience at that moment. "BEX! I get that you're trying to be suspenseful and everything, but this is taking forever! _Sto lentamente__ diventando__ pazzo__ e non posso più aspettare__! Basta dirci già o mi prendo__ il__ tuo__ pollo__ parmigiano__ e butto__ dall'altra parte__ della stanza_!" In the hype of the moment, I slipped into Italian without realizing it.

Many people were staring at me now, obviously hearing my sudden outburst. The attention was overwhelming, causing me to shrink down in my seat and my cheeks to redden. Mr. Solomon was looking at me again, and I was mentally preparing myself to get scolded again. But even though he still looked annoyed at me, there was a slight look of approval mixed in. I guess my Italian was getting better.

"Wow, Cammie, don't be so temperamental. Calm down," Bex commented.

She smiled when she saw me glaring, but sighed in defeat. "Fine. But I can't tell you the full details with _everybody _around us that could eavesdrop and spread rumors." After giving me a pointed look, I knew Macey and I were thinking the same thing: even though Bex didn't say it specifically, we both knew that the 'everybody' she was referring to was probably Tina Walters, who was sitting merely a few seats away. Luckily, she was discussing with Eva about whether Mr. Solomon is hot because he's a spy, or just because he's hot.

_"Being a spy instantly makes you a thousand times more attractive." _Zach's voice echoed in my mind. Then something dawned on me: was Zach hot just because he was a spy? No, I decided, he was still hot way before I even got to know him. Even as a stranger, I was sure Zach was one of the more attractive members of the male species, so to speak.

Somehow, this thought soothed me, as if verifying Zach was truly attractive helped at all in my current state of mind. When, in reality, it didn't help at all. But it was still nice to think about.

"When Madame Dabney left the classroom to talk to Cammie's mom, I was curious. I really wanted to find out why, so..." she lowered her voice and motioned for us to lean in closer. "I bugged her office," Bex whispered with a sly spy smile.

Liz's eyes bugged out into glassy ocean marbles. "ARE YOU INSANE?! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU BUG-Ouch!" Just in time, Bex kicked Liz under the table and stopped her from yelling it for everybody within earshot to hear. And with spies, that's a pretty wide range of people.

"Sorry. So what did you find out?" Liz asked, now speaking in a low whisper.

"Nothing yet, I just bugged it on my way here. But we can check tonight in our room."

~.~.~.~

After we made sure everyone else was asleep and that our room was bug-free, Liz helped Bex pull up the bug footage. The bugs Bex planted were simple ones; a one way camera and microphone. This was so we could hear and see everything, but they couldn't hear us or see us. She placed four bugs in my mom's office. One was on her desk, on was on the doorway, and the last two were in the bookshelves.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Liz announced and pressed play to begin the footage from the past seven hours. At first nothing was happening, so I clicked fast forward. But still, nothing happened. Reaching the end of the recording, we rewinded and replayed it, slower this time. Yet again, the office remained empty

Macey was the first to say something. "What was _that_? Nothing happened!"

"Could your mom really go the entire day without going in her office?" Liz asked.

Bex shook her head. "No, I swear I overheard Headmistress Morgan say she was having a meeting with the teachers at four."

All our attention was to Liz's laptop, so that's probably why we didn't hear our door open. Or why we didn't hear the footsteps. But one thing we heard loud and clear was someone speaking. "I should watch what I'm saying around you girls, now, shouldn't I? And Rebecca, what did I tell you about bugging my office?"

* * *

><p><strong>Translation: "I am slowly going insane and I can't wait any longer! Just tell us already or I'll take your chicken parmesan and throw it across the room!" <strong>

**Oh, and shout out to _Stronger-Than-Fear, _my new FanFic friend and a fabulous writer! Go read her stories: this is NOT optional!**

**Future chapters will have more things happening, I swear! This was just a little in-between transition. The next chapter will be up as soon as I finish it, which could take anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks; I'm not sure. I'll try to update every week, or every two weeks from now on to keep it consistent! **

**Reviews are my motivation! I'll post a new chapter when I reach... 21 reviews. Or whenever I finish writing the chapter. Or both. Probably both. So, I guess the next chapter will be up when I finish writing and this gets 21 or more reviews! I want your feedback and opinions! **

**Thanks for reading, stay weird! Being normal is overrated. Seriously. **


	5. Chapter 5

My mother has an uncanny ability to make a room go silent. We all froze in our seats at the sound of her voice. Even Bex couldn't find anything to say.

"How...How did you..." Unsuccessfully, Liz tried to search for words appropriate to describe the situation.

My mom smiled. "How did I what? How did I find the bugs? How did I walk into your room without you knowing? How did I thwart your ingenious plan to find out about why I was taking to Madame Dabney earlier?" Our blank, bemused expressions were enough to answer to her questions.

She crossed her arms, turned, and walked out of our room. Without looking at back at us, she called out, "My office, now." Quickly, we all pulled on our shoes and hurried after her.

"What do you think is going to happen to us?" Macey tried to seem calm, but I noticed the slight falter in her voice. We were all scared of how much trouble we're probably in. Spy mom punishments are a little scarier than normal moms. A lot scarier, actually.

When we reached her office, she was already sitting casually at her desk, looking like a normal headmistress of a school. But this is a spy school. Nothing is normal here.

After we sat down, she tilted her head. "How should I begin... Well, first, before you ask, there _was_ a meeting at four. I found the bugs before the meeting, but I didn't get rid of them. I just put in fake footage of the empty room, then later, I rewired it and traced the signal to your room."

"Oh," was I all could say.

Bex tried a different approach, persistent yet polite. "Well, ma'am, since we've been so persistent in learning about this, can you tell us what it's about?" Bex added a smile for good measures.

"Cut the act, Bex, it won't affect my decision," Mom said. Bex nodded.

"But, Ms. Morgan, we're going to find out eventually," Macey pointed out, " It won't hurt to tell us now."

A smile danced at the edge of my mom's mouth. "You girls won't give up, will you? I guess I'll tell you. black thorn is coming to Gallagher."

We all waited for her to explain what she meant by Blackthorne, but she didn't. "What do you mean, exactly, by that?" Lizzie asked.

Not replying, she stood up and held the door open, the universal sign letting us know that we need to go. "That is all I'm willing to tell you. Like you said, Macey, you'll find out on your own eventually."

"But when is 'eventually'?" Macey persisted.

"Tomorrow," she answered, and motioned for us to go again. "You'll find out tomorrow. Now get to bed. Word on the street is that Mr. Smith is giving you a pop quiz. But you didn't hear that from me," she added with a wink.

"Thanks, mom!"

"Night, kiddo," she answered, then started to close the door. Stopping mid-way, she tossed our four bugs out to us. "Is it safe to assume that I won't be seeing any more of these in my office?" We nodded in agreement. "Good."

As we walked down the hall, Macey said, "I can't believe we got off the hook so easily!"

"Yeah, it's weird," I replied. It was a bit unnerving, though. "She wouldn't let us off that easily, would she?"

To answer my question, my mom yelled from her office. "By the way, Dr. Fibs had a chemical incident in his lab. Get some sponges and cleaning supplies ready for tomorrow, you're all in charge of cleaning it!"

"Your mom scares me sometimes," Bex commented. Hearing that from Bex, fearless, brave Bex, made the statement that much more true.

~.~.~.~

Last night, even though we should have gone to sleep, we tried to find some research on what or who black thorn (or maybe Blackthorne?) was. We couldn't find any information though, and we looked everywhere. And I mean everywhere, everywhere. Government files, top-secret locations, everywhere. We have Liz, so finding Blackthorne shouldn't be that hard. But there was nothing.

As soon as we walked into the COW classroom, Mr. Smith said, "Get in your seats, we're having a pop quiz," My friends and I exchanged a smile. Since Mom hinted at it the night before, we had a quick study session this morning, now fully prepared.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, until we got to C&A. The tables were moved aside, so a large space was in the middle of the room. Madame Dabney did tell us we were starting ballroom dancing. That wasn't a big deal.

But now that I think about it, though, I found it surprising that we didn't think about how ballroom dancing involves _two _people.

And if we realized this fact before, it would have totally lessened the shock factor of the moment where some surprise visitors walked through those doors.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five! Sorry it's not much, but I decided to post something to show I have not disappeared off the face of the earth since it's been a while since I updated. Also, please excuse typos or lack of good writing quality, I was in a rush to post. I swear the next chapter will be better!<strong>

**Let me take this time to say thanks so so so much for all the support! This story was supposed to be a short, cliched, cheesy Cinderella-like fanfiction one shot, but because of all your support it's up to five chapters, with hopefully more to come! **

**Stay weird! :) **

**~crazyshay77~**


	6. Chapter 6

Silence was a rarity at the Gallagher Academy. When it happened, I reveled in the occasional quiet while it lasted. At that moment, though, I wished that people would start talking again. That would mean things were normal. That there weren'tthree guy spy exchange students standing at the front of the room. But no one dared to speak, dared to breathe. As if a mere breath would mess with the illusion standing before us. And they were no illusion. They were real, all right. But there was one thing I've been constantly asking myself since that night: is Zach real?

"I am honored to welcome our juniors exchanging from Blackthorne! We were going to formally introduce everyone this morning, but the meeting is postponed until tomorrow. So, I'll take some time to briefly introduce these three young gentlemen and their school. Blackthorne Institute is, in a way, our brother school. Their training is similar as ours, but in a sense…" I lost focus after that, considering Madame Dabney's definition of 'briefly' isn't as short as it should be. There were much more pressing matters, such as a certain guy who was standing at the front of the room.

Tempted to pinch myself, I wasn't sure whether to believe he was here. Yes, he did leave a note, and yes, he kind of promised to see me again, but I didn't actually believe that. It was nice to think about, and that night was amazing. A nice break from reality. Now, though, it seemed more and more like a dreamlike fantasy. This was real life.

Zach was leaning comfortably against the wall in his Gallagher uniform, speaking to a familiar blonde. Bex figured out who it was before I did.

"I cannot believe that bloody arse had the nerve to show up here!" she fumed, like Grant's presence here was entirely his fault. "He told me he lived over in California! With a girlfriend! Obviously he doesn't. Why did Grant lie to me?!"

We've all known Bex was over-dramatic, but this was too much. She usually didn't lose her cool disposition if she could help it. "Bex, you know he's a spy. If he was on a mission, he probably had a cover. He couldn't tell you the truth."

"Zach told you the truth," she shot back. "Explain that to me." With that, she spun and walked away. This stopped my previous thoughts immediately. Why did he tell me the truth? He's a spy, and he was the main man on the mission. Spies never told the truth, especially when an op is running. Zach didn't seem careless enough to accidentally slip the truth, so I was left wondering.

Maybe he trusted me? Maybe he thought I deserved the truth. Or... maybe he wasn't telling the truth_. _That last thought made me rethink everything.

Would he risk the mission through telling the truth? No; that wasn't likely. Even amateur spies know enough not to do that. So maybe it wasn't true at all. Was Zach lying the entire night? Did he fake everything?

The sound of classical music interrupted my stream of conscious. What was happening?Everyone was shifting around, pairing into partners. I watched Liz trip and an equally clumsy guy with dark hair and glasses rammed into her just as she tripped. Blushing, they spoke a bit and positioned themselves to do a waltz. So that's what we're doing.

Bex stormed over to Grant earlier to settle their disputes, so Zach was left alone at the front, observing the room. Seeing the opportunity, I walked towards him.

Forcing a slight smile, I called his name. "Zach."

He looked up, but there was no flicker of recognition. Another thing to add to the effect of him lying. He probably doesn't even remember that night. Probably just remembered it as another successful mission. He nodded indifferently and crossed his arms, waiting for a response. As if this weren't hard enough.

"I-do you want to be my dance partner?"

He tilted his head and smirked. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Gallagher Girl?" Gallagher Girl. Did that mean he remembered me? And what happened to the charming stranger from the other night? I was coming to the conclusion that the 'charming stranger' was as fake as the rest of him. A cover, a legend. A lie.

"That's why I asked," I responded, as void of emotion as could muster.

Zach took my hand in his without hesitation, with another cocky grin. "Sure, let's dance."

He led me to a clearing near the center of the room, underneath the gleaming chandelier. Ignoring the slight tingling sensation I felt when he put his hand in mine, I focused on the task at hand.

"So…"

He raised an eyebrow. "So…" he repeated.

Clearing my throat, I started again. "So, it's crazy seeing you. Again." I added the 'again' as an afterthought to test his reaction.

"I didn't really think I would see you after the mission," he replied. "I was thinking I wouldn't see you again ever." Something about the way he said it made it seem like he was actually hoping he'd never see me again. Or it might had just been my over analyzing mind.

"While we're on the topic of the mission…" Once again, I could not finish my sentence. This time, he didn't bother mocking me. For a while, we just kept moving along the piano accompaniment. Nothing was enchanting when we danced then. It seemed too formal and uncomfortable. I felt no emotion dancing with him, and he was looking everywhere else in the room, only occasionally glancing at me.

"What happened on the night of the mission?" I blurted.

"What do you mean?" he twirled me slowly out, then back again. I settled myself back into position and found myself searching for his eyes. Now, he held my gaze.

"Everything, from meeting me, dancing together, the mission, your big confession of undying love…" I explained, purposely joking and over-exaggerating my last point to keep the mood light. Nonetheless, it didn't help much. The air felt thick and I wished to be anywhere but in his arms. It was crazy to not want to be dancing with someone like Zach, but it was true. The only truth I was sure of so far.

Zach seemed unfazed by my comment on his alleged undying love for me. "You seem knowing of what happened. What else you do want to know?"

"The truth." Merely two words, but there was so much encrypted within them. I tried to put as much, yet as little emotion in as possible. He slowed in his steps ever so slightly and looked away; a very small, albeit still apparent, sign of hesitation.

"About what?" he questioned. Frustrated, I realized I was getting more questions than answers from this infuriating boy in front of me.

"That night. Was any of that true?" I swallowed to prepare myself for what I was to say next. "Or were you lying and faking it the whole time?"

Zach stopped moving, in turn stopping both of us, but didn't move his hands off me. He simply held me there, looking at me, his emerald eyes seeming to see all my secrets. "Did it feel true to you?"

Without having anytime to form a coherent thought, the music stopped. "That's it for today, we'll pick up with the fox trot tomorrow!" Madame Dabney informed. Zach's eyes hadn't left mine, and I still didn't respond. Then, he gradually let go, slipping me out of his arms.

Zach walked out of the room without looking back at me even once, leaving me pondering at his statement.

Did it feel true to me?

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know. I suck. I have no idea when my last update was, so I'd say it's been roughly a month? I've tried to update every two weeks, and usually I can finish a chapter in time, but for some reason this was difficult to get out. And I'm still not completely satisfied with it. Hopefully you thought this was worth the wait!<strong>

**And considering my current position, I think my next update might take another month, or less if I can find time. So until then, please review! My goal:**

**7 or more reviews**

**5 or more followers**

**3 or more favorites**

**Ordinary is overrated. Stay weird! :)**

**~crazyshay77~**


	7. Chapter 7

True to Madame Dabney's word, the next day at breakfast my mother introduced the Blackthorne facility and their students. In total, there were fourteen students, about three students per grade. Dr. Steven Sanders (or Dr. Steve as he wanted to go by) and the Blackthorne boys will be here to the end of our semester.

Through a span of twenty four hours, though, at least twenty rumors were circulating through our halls. Naturally, at least eleven of them were started by Tina Walters.

_The boys were staying in the East Wing_- true. While we were in the Grand Hall, they blocked out any entrance to the East Wing, replacing empty classes as rooms for them to stay in. The negative was through taking out that wing meant changing my routes to at least half of my destinations. I learned this the hard way when I was late to Countries of the World, and Cove Ops.

_They were hybrid government experiments gone wrong and they were sent here to fulfill some hidden purpose- _rumor. At least, I assumed it was a rumor. But you never know. After all, they are both spies and guys- a very dangerous combination, twice as confusing as the average male. And the male species is already confusing as it is.

"We need to get to work," Bex proposed in COW. I nodded, looking at the sheet in front of us.

"Yeah, I know. I finished the first section. What did you get for part two?"

Glancing at her paper, she replied, "Algeria, 17 to 39. But that's not what I meant." She leaned over the desk and lowered her voice. "We need to start Operation Breaking Blackthorne."

I raised my eyebrow in question. "Operation Breaking Blackthorne? What is that?"

She paused for a bit. "I'm not exactly sure yet. All I know is that I want to figure out what the institute really is, and who the guys really are."

"They're spies like us, Bex. Blackthorne is like a dude version of Gallagher."

"But how do you know for sure?"

Turning to the next page, I answered, "That's what the teachers told us."

After speaking, I realized the many faults in that statement. A place without secrets only exists in the corners of our globe. But the world is round, lacking in corners. A place without secrets is nonexistent. Everyone has their own secrets. Outside our walls, no one knows how exceptional students at the Gallagher Academy really are. Even within our walls, secrets still lingered. Blackthorne might as well be one of those untold truths.

I sighed. "But they could be lying."

That night in our room, we began planning Operation Blackthorne.

Maybe this was the key to figuring out what really happened that night. Or maybe it'll give more questions than answers. But we'd never know until we took the risk. And if there was anything Gallagher Girls were trained to do, it was to take risks. So, we did.

* * *

><p><strong>So... there's the end for now. I know, I suck for not updating for two whole months. This isn't even the best quality of writing, plus it's extremely short. I don't really have an excuse aside from A) laziness and B) lack of ideas. But I really wanted to end this story because I'm not sure where else to take it. <strong>

**Maybe in the future I'll write a sequel about "Operation Blackthorne" if I get enough support!**

**For now, this is end. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this entire story! I never thought anyone would read my cheesy Cinderella tale, then next thing I knew people actually liked it and it grew into a real story! Thanks!**

**As always, stay weird! :)**

**~crazyshay77~**


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